Science Weekly podcast: the origin of life on Earth

Scientist, broadcaster and writer
Adam Rutherford discusses his new book Creation which explores the chemical origins of life on Earth, and reveals why he believes our future is in the hands of genetic engineers

DNA strands. Anna George warns of the implications for public health if companies patent such personal data. Photograph: Monkey Business Images / Rex Fea

Alok Jha is joined by Adam Rutherford to discuss how life began some 4bn years ago – and the manipulation of its blueprint, DNA, through genetic engineering. Adam's latest book, Creation: The Origin of Life/The Future of Life, is two books in one. The first details the latest research into how the first cellular life form emerged, and the second looks at the rapidly developing science of synthetic biology.